5,000 new blood cancer cases in Gujarat every year, doctor says

5,000 cases of blood cancer are reported in Gujarat every year and the survival rate is as low as 10 per cent and 20 per cent, according to a senior doctor of a hospital in Gandhinagar.Ankur Tewari | TNN | September 17, 2015, 16:49 IST

Representational photo.AHMEDABAD: 5,000 cases of blood cancer are reported in Gujarat every year and the survival rate is as low as 10 per cent and 20 per cent, according to a senior doctor of a hospital in Gandhinagar.

"There are 5,000 new cases in the state every year, but the exact cause of blood cancers is still unknown," said Dr Chirag Shah, director of oncology and cell transplant at a corporate hospital in Gandhinagar.

"Foreign countries have a survival rate of 80 per cent. But in India, it's just 10 per cent to 20 per cent. Treating blood cancer requires a separate infrastructure but most government hospitals don't have such a facility. Late diagnosis is also to be blamed for high mortality," he said.

As part of the blood cancer awareness month, a special event will be organised on Sunday, when seven blood cancer survivors from Gujarat and Rajasthan will narrate their tribulations and victory over the disease.